Shoe sole



R. GOUABAULT Aug. 5, 1952 SHOE SOLE Filed July 9, 1951 RofiERT GouAB uLT BY:

IHVENTOR;

Patented Aug. 5, 1952 v T UNITED STATE-s f Application July9,1951,se-ra1;1v0.235,71a c In France July 31,1950 [1;

' 1 Claim. (cries-Q29) L My invention has for its object a shoe sole allowing a very easy gait while reducing or cutting out the strain on thewearer who becomes unsensitive to the roughness of the ground'he iswalking on, as due for instance to the pebbles of a sidewalk or to thepaving stones of the roadway. Furthermore, this improved sole is a poorconductor of heat and is particularly pleasant to wear both in winterand in summer. It may be incorporated to working shoes, to walkingshoes, to town shoes as well as to indoor shoes. When applied to heavyshoes, such as army shoes for instance, it allows walking more easily,quicker and with less fatigue.

The sole according to the invention is, furthermore, economical andhighly resistant to wear and tear.

According to my invention, the sole includes one or several recessescontaining one or several air bags or chambers projecting slightlybeyondvthe lower surface of the sole.

The air bags or chambers may be protected by a cover of rubber forinstance.

The sole may include a thick edge defining recesses in which bags orchambers filled with air are housed together with a cover therefor, sucha cover being made for instance of rubber or the like material.

A thin sheet of leather for instance may, furthermore, be fitted betweenthe sole and the vamp.

The covering of the air chambers or bags may be constituted by a sheetof material such as rubber provided along its edge with a reinforcementsuch as a metal wire, the cover edge provided with said reinforcementbeing housed inside a groove provided inside the thick edge of the sole.

A metal or the like stiffening member may be fitted between the sole andthe.vamp of the shoe. The medial part of the sole lying between the solebody and the heel may include no recesses of the type referred to andshow only housings for the valves used for inflating the air chambers orbags.

This medial part of the sole located between the sole body and the heel,when including no recesses for air bags, may be slightly out out andcarry means for securing the cover edge, said edge being housed in thecut out part or parts so as to produce no extra thickness underneath thesole.

Lastly, in a modified embodiment, the sole may be provided with one orseveral air filled chambers or bags and a cover for the latter, the edgeof the cover constituting a thick edge for 2 1 the sole which edge issecured underneaththe shoefbody i g A I will'now idescr-ibewith furtherdetail a preferred embodiment of my invention given by way of example,reference "being made to accompanying drawings, wherein: I

Fig. l-i's a view from underneath of a sole according t'o'the:invention, the cover being removed so as'to allow the air bags andinflating valves to become apparent. K 1 j:

Fig.1 2 is aticross-section throughlineIL-II of Fig. 1, the vamp of theshoe not beingillustrated While the cover of the bag is shown in itsnormal location. I j Fig. 1, illustrates 'a-ysole according to myinvention, said sole including three parts, to wit: the sole body, theinstep or medial part, and the heel.

The vamp of a new shoe may first be provided with a thin sole I, ofleather for instance, to which is secured the sole according to myinvention, that will now be described.

Said sole according to myinvention includes a flange or edge 2 defininggrooves or recesses 3 and 4 for engagement by a metal rod while an airchamber or bag 5 or 6 is arranged inside the corresponding recessed partof the sole body and of the heel. Each air chamber 5 or 6 is providedwith a corresponding valve 1 or 8 housed inside a small recess 9 or [0formed inside one of the edges II or l2 of the recesses facing themedial part of the sole.

The portion of the shoe edge 2 defining the recess 3 may assume abreadth and a thickness substantially equal to 1 cm.. for instance. Incontradistinction, the portion of the edge 2 defining the groove 4 inthe heel may assume a thickness that is for instance double, the heelbeing normally higher than the sole body.

The edge 2 may be provided as illustrated in Fig. 2 with an auxiliarygroove adapted to be engaged by the edge I 4 of the cover if enclosingthe air chamber 5 or 6.

This cover may be made for instance of rubber or the like material. Theedge M of the cover l5 may be comparatively thick and include areinforcement constituted by a metal wire or rod l6 or a cable. Thisedge [4 is held fast through engagement of its reinforcement inside thegroove I3 in the sole edge. The covers l5 of the air chambers 5 and 6include each towards the middle of the sole a section adapted to engagea recessed part H or IT. Said parts II and I1 are shallow as it is notnecessary as a matter of fact for the covers IE to extend substantiallybeyond the sole. These parts H and I! are provided with ports I8 adaptedto receive pressure screws the heads of which are embedded inside thecovering material I5.

The air chambers are inflated through the valves 1 and 8 at a suitablepressure varying with the weight of the wearer, after which theinflating valves 1 and 8 are housed inside the small recesses 9 and Itand the pressure screws engag ing the covers 15 are fitted into theopenings l8 so as to provide means for closinghermetically the recesses3 and 4 and to thereby prevent the earth and gravel from entering thelatter.

The covers I5 may of course be made of any suitable material other thanrubber such as yielding and resistant leather. v

It is also possible to provide a thin plate of steel 20 (Fig. 2) laidover the vamp; this plate may alternatively be replaced by a pluralityof metal plates such as are shown at 2| in Fig. l, secured rigidly andtransversely over the thin leather sole I so as to ensure rigidity-ofthe shoe.

After inflation of the air chamber, the middle of the covers l5 projectsslightly beyond the thickness of the sole and allows thus the wearer toassume a very easy and light gait.

In the case wherea pointed part were to tear an air chamber open, itwould always be possible to continue walking as the shoe would then resttransiently on the ground only through the edges 2 of the sole.

Of course, myinvention is by no means limited 4 claim. For instance, thecovers [5 with their reinforced edges It may be replaced by yielding orelastic sheets, the edges of which are thick and provide consequentlyunderneath them recesses for air chambers such as 5 and 6 while theirthick edges are secured to the vamp through stressresisting means. Inthis modification, the inflating valves for the air chamber are locatedin small recesses provided for this purpose inside'the sole.

What I claim is: v

A sole for shoes comprising a sole body provided with at least onerecess and including a thick peripheral flange defining said recessesand provided with a groove along its inner periphery and air chamberfitted in each recess and adapted,

when inflated, to project slightly beyond the lower'surface of the solefacing the ground and a cover for each air chamber including a wirereinforcement along its edge engaging the corresponding flange groove. 7

ROBERT GOUABAULT.

REFERENCES icrrnn The following references are of record in the v fileof'this patent: UNITED STATES PATENTS Germany i Apr. 2a, 1922

